Young Koreans turn to court auctions as Seoul prices soar

Young Koreans are turning to court auctions in Seoul as soaring apartment prices and tighter lending rules make regular home purchases harder. In a court in Songpa District on Aug. 24, young bidders competed for a villa in Amsa-dong, and many left disappointed. Court data showed buyers aged 19 to 39 made up 26.9 percent of auction property owners from January through July, up from a year earlier.

From January through July, 20,619 buyers registered ownership of auctioned properties, according to the Court Registry Information Plaza.

Buyers aged 19 to 39 numbered 5,556, or 26.9 percent of the total, and that share rose 18.3 percent from the same period a year earlier.

The number of buyers aged 19 to 39 increased from 5,759 in 2021 to 8,361 last year.

GG Auction said winning bids for Seoul apartments have exceeded 100 percent of appraised values for four consecutive months.

The June 27, 2025 lending measures capped loans used for the remaining auction payment at 600 million won and required winning bidders to move into the home within six months.

Published Sep 6, 2026 12:05 am KST

Tighter loan rules push speculators out of auction market

An image generated by artificial intelligence

Kim Yu-ji, 26, let out a sigh. "It failed," she said. "I had high hopes."

It was the morning of Aug. 24 in Courtroom 101 of the Seoul Eastern District Court in Songpa District. The property on the block was a low-rise multifamily property commonly called a "villa" in Korean, located in Amsa-dong, Gangdong District, and appraised at 504 million won ($370,000). It drew 11 bidders, more than any other case heard that day. Kim had taken the morning off to sit beside her older brother, Kim Beom-jun, 31, who was making his first bid at a property auction. He had put his chances at about 80 percent.

Then the judge announced the result. "The highest bid in this case is 436.07 million won," he said. Kim Beom-jun had bid 370 million won, falling 66.07 million won short of the winning bid. Neither of them lingered over it. They had to return to work that afternoon.

They were not the only young bidders in the room. About 10 people in their 20s and 30s were there, among them Kang Ji-yun, 27, who lost a bid for a villa in Garak-dong.

"Homes in Seoul are so expensive that I looked for a way to buy as cheaply as possible, and that is how I learned about auctions," she said. "I lost today, but I am not too disappointed because gaining experience may eventually lead to a good opportunity and a good home."

Bidders wait for bids to be opened inside the auction courtroom at the Seoul Eastern District Court in Songpa District, Seoul, Aug. 24. Korea Times photo by Na Kwang-hyun

Rising home prices and tightening property regulations are pushing a growing number of Koreans in their 20s and 30s toward the courts. Without help from their parents, they are nowhere near buying an apartment in Seoul, even if they stretch their finances to the limit.

So they buy a villa at auction instead and wait for an opportunity to trade up. The property auction market is complicated and risky, and for years it belonged to middle-aged specialists who knew how to read it. The question is why young people are now entering the market.

Court data showed the same trend. From January through July, 20,619 buyers registered ownership of auctioned properties, according to the Court Registry Information Plaza. Of those, 5,556, or 26.9 percent of the total, were aged 19 to 39, an increase of 18.3 percent from the same period a year earlier. The portion of buyers aged 19 to 29 grew faster still, up 24.8 percent against an average of 17.2 percent across all age groups. Over a longer period, the shift is clearer. Buyers ages 19 to 39 rose from 5,759 in 2021 to 8,361 last year.

Two forces are behind the change: rising apartment prices and the tightening of lending rules that followed.

"With apartment prices continuing to rise and lending rules tightening, prospective homebuyers appear to have turned to auctions in search of a more affordable way to buy," said Lee Ju-hyun, a senior expert adviser at GG Auction.

Chart generated by artificial intelligence. The total may not equal 100 due to rounding of numbers.

Available jeonse listings, Korea's lump-sum deposit rental system, have dwindled as well, adding to the pressure.

An official at Master Auction Academy in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, said about half of the school's recent new students are in their 20s and 30s, indicating growing interest among young people.

"As jeonse listings disappear, people seem to be moving into auctions with the view that they might as well buy," the official said.

A real estate agent in Hwagok-dong, Gangseo District, described the same shift.

"Newlyweds mainly used to ask about jeonse homes, but purchase inquiries have also increased over the past four or five months," the agent said.

Chart generated by artificial intelligence

Homes to live in, not to flip

The young buyers entering auctions now want homes to occupy. Through the first half of last year, the auction market drew younger bidders pursuing gap investments, in which a buyer covers most of a property's price with an incoming tenant's jeonse deposit, and short-term flipping of low-rise multifamily homes. Lending rules were looser in the auction market then, and no occupancy requirement applied.

The trend changed with the lending measures announced June 27, 2025, which took effect the following day. The rules capped loans used to pay the remaining purchase price after a successful auction bid at 600 million won, and required winning bidders to move into the home within six months. The market shifted toward cash-rich buyers and owner-occupiers.

Buyers in their 20s and 30s rarely have much cash, but they can qualify for the first-time homebuyer loan, which favors those who have never owned a home. The loan also requires the buyer to live in the home.

"When real estate regulations are as extensive as they are now, financing is crucial, and young people without a home have an advantage," said Sim Yu-sun, director of Eduwill Real Estate Academy. "There is a trend of young buyers using financing in the relatively accessible auction market to obtain homes they can occupy themselves."

Han Ju-ok, a professor of real estate law at Seoil University, explains court auction procedures to students from the department's academic club outside the auction courtroom at the Seoul Eastern District Court in Songpa District, Seoul, Aug. 24. Korea Times photo by Na Kwang-hyun

What they can actually afford are lower- to mid-priced apartments and low-rise multifamily homes on Seoul's outskirts — a map drawn by budget constraints. According to GG Auction, a firm specializing in court auction and public sale data, winning bids for Seoul apartments have exceeded 100 percent of appraised values for four consecutive months, which means the traditional auction discount has effectively disappeared.

"Buying an apartment in major parts of Seoul requires at least 300 million won to 400 million won of your own money, so entry is simply out of reach," Kim Beom-jun said. "I looked at a villa as a realistic compromise."

A sign explaining how to fill out a bid form stands outside the auction courtroom at the Seoul Eastern District Court in Songpa District, Seoul, Aug. 24. Korea Times photo by Na Kwang-hyun

Some do win. Noh Hyun-jung, 24, known online as "Hyunfree02," bought a low-rise multifamily home in Gangseo District late last year for nearly 200 million won, about 20 percent below prices for comparable homes nearby. The property sits in an area being promoted for redevelopment under Moa Town, Seoul's small-scale neighborhood renewal model. Her approach is what Koreans call "momtech" — living in a modest property while waiting for its value or redevelopment prospects to improve.

"I am highly satisfied with the proximity to a subway station, the surrounding infrastructure and, above all, the security of no longer having to worry about jeonse or monthly rent," she said. "Now that I have a home to live in, I will save money and later decide whether to remain there or sell it."

Interest grows; so do risks

The interest is unlikely to fade. Yoiddang, an AI-powered court auction analysis platform, said users aged 45 to 64 made up 63 percent of its user base over the past three months, and users aged 18 to 34 made up 22 percent. The firm said growth among younger users has been the clearest demographic trend.

"Young users actively bring data generated through AI and similar tools into their decision-making," the company official said.

More properties are expected to reach court auction in the coming months. Experts, including Kim Won-young, a property auction instructor who teaches courses for Seoul district governments and other organizations, say among the properties are apartments bought by the first wave of buyers who borrowed heavily during the administration of former President Moon Jae-in.

Low-rise multifamily homes are also expected to appear in volume, dragged in by jeonse distress that has been pronounced since 2023. Two patterns account for most of it: kkangtong jeonse, in which a property's deposit approaches or exceeds what the home would fetch in a sale, and reverse jeonse, in which prevailing deposits fall below the deposit a landlord still owes an existing tenant.

A neighborhood of low-rise multifamily homes, commonly called villas in Korean, in Hwagok-dong, Gangseo District, Seoul / Korea Times file

The surge in supply is a warning as much as an opportunity. Properties come to auction because something has gone wrong with them, and what has gone wrong is not always visible in the listing.

"Auctions are clearly increasing, but the potential for problems is rising just as fast," Sim said. "Buyers who fail to analyze hidden liens, tenancy claims and other legal interests may pay a heavy price, so they should study the process thoroughly before bidding."

For young buyers priced out of Seoul apartments, the auction court is one of the few remaining entry points.

"If the government regulates without addressing the underlying causes of rising home prices, demand will always find a gap," said Yang Ji-young, a real estate expert adviser at Shinhan Securities. "Because auctions are effectively the only way to invest in housing with a small amount of money, young people are flocking to them even though they know the risks are high."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

由于公寓价格飙升和贷款政策收紧，购房难度加大，越来越多的韩国年轻人开始转向首尔的法院拍卖。8月24日，在松坡区的一家法院，年轻的竞标者们争夺岩寺洞的一栋别墅，许多人最终失望而归。法院数据显示，今年1月至7月，19岁至39岁的买家占拍卖房产所有者的26.9%，高于去年同期水平。

据法院登记信息广场显示，从1月到7月，共有20619名买家登记了拍卖房产的所有权。

19 至 39 岁的买家人数为 5,556 人，占总数的 26.9%，这一比例比上年同期增长了 18.3%。

19 至 39 岁购房者的数量从 2021 年的 5,759 人增加到去年的 8,361 人。

GG Auction表示，首尔公寓的成交价已连续四个月超过评估价的100%。

2025 年 6 月 27 日的贷款措施规定，用于支付剩余拍卖款项的贷款上限为 6 亿韩元，并要求中标者在六个月内搬入房屋。

发布于2026年9月6日凌晨12:05（韩国标准时间）

更严格的贷款规则将投机者挤出了拍卖市场。

人工智能生成的图像

26岁的金裕智叹了口气。“失败了，”她说。“我原本抱有很高的期望。”

那是8月24日上午，首尔松坡区东部地方法院101号法庭。待售房产是一栋位于江东区岩寺洞的低层多户住宅，韩语俗称“别墅”，估价5.04亿韩元（约合37万美元）。当天共有11位竞标者，比当天其他任何案件都多。金女士特意请假，坐在她31岁的哥哥金范俊旁边，这是金范俊第一次参加房产拍卖。他估计自己中标的几率在80%左右。

随后，法官宣布了结果。“本案最高出价为4.3607亿韩元，”他说。金范俊出价3.7亿韩元，比中标价少了6607万韩元。两人都没有过多纠结，因为他们下午还要回去上班。

他们并不是房间里唯一的年轻竞标者。大约有10名20多岁到30多岁的人也在场，其中包括27岁的姜智允，她竞标加乐洞的一栋别墅失败了。

“首尔的房价太贵了，所以我一直在想办法尽可能便宜地买到房子，这才了解到拍卖，”她说。“今天虽然没拍到，但我并不太失望，因为积累经验或许最终能带来好的机会和好房子。”

8月24日，在首尔松坡区首尔东部地方法院的拍卖法庭内，竞标者等待开标。韩国时报 罗光铉摄

房价上涨和房产监管日益严格，迫使越来越多的韩国二三十岁年轻人诉诸法庭。如果没有父母的帮助，即使他们竭尽全力，也根本买不起首尔的房子。

所以他们转而通过拍卖购买别墅，等待机会换购更好的房产。房地产拍卖市场复杂且风险高，多年来一直由懂得如何解读市场的中年专家把持。问题是，为什么现在年轻人也开始进入这个市场？

法院数据显示了同样的趋势。据法院登记信息中心统计，今年1月至7月，共有20,619名买家登记购买了拍卖房产。其中，5,556人（占总数的26.9%）年龄在19至39岁之间，较去年同期增长18.3%。19至29岁买家的比例增长更为显著，增幅达24.8%，而所有年龄段的平均增幅为17.2%。从更长的时间跨度来看，这一变化更为明显。19至39岁买家的数量从2021年的5,759人增至去年的8,361人。

造成这种变化的原因有两个：一是公寓价格上涨，二是随之而来的贷款规则收紧。

“随着公寓价格持续上涨和贷款规则收紧，潜在购房者似乎转向拍卖，以寻求更实惠的购房方式，”GG Auction 的高级专家顾问李柱贤表示。

此图表由人工智能生成。由于数字四舍五入，总数可能不等于100。

韩国的全租房（即一次性押金租房制度）房源也相应减少，这加剧了租房压力。

京畿道水原市大师拍卖学院的一位官员表示，该校最近招收的新生中约有一半是二三十岁的年轻人，这表明年轻人对拍卖的兴趣日益浓厚。

“随着全租房源的减少，人们似乎开始转向拍卖，认为既然如此，不如直接购买，”这位官员说。

江西区花谷洞的一位房地产经纪人也描述了同样的转变。

“以前主要是新婚夫妇咨询全套住宅，但过去四五个月里，购房咨询量也有所增加，”经纪人说。

人工智能生成的图表

是用来居住的房子，不是用来倒卖的。

如今，参与拍卖的年轻买家都希望买到自住的房屋。去年上半年，拍卖市场吸引了大量追求“差价投资”的年轻竞标者，他们利用即将入住的租户的全租押金来支付大部分房款，并进行低层多户住宅的短期炒房。当时的拍卖市场贷款规则较为宽松，也没有自住房屋的要求。

这一趋势随着2025年6月27日公布的贷款措施而改变，这些措施于次日生效。新规将竞拍成功后用于支付剩余购房款的贷款上限设定为6亿韩元，并要求中标者在六个月内入住。市场格局由此转向现金充裕的买家和自住业主。

二三十岁的购房者通常手头现金不多，但他们可以申请首次购房贷款，这种贷款专门针对从未拥有过房产的人。贷款还要求购房者必须居住在所购房屋内。

“在如今房地产监管如此繁琐的情况下，融资至关重要，而没有住房的年轻人则具有优势，”Eduwill房地产学院院长沈宇顺表示。“目前有一种趋势，即年轻购房者利用相对容易获得的拍卖市场进行融资，从而获得自己可以居住的房屋。”

8月24日，首尔松坡区首尔东部地方法院拍卖法庭外，瑞银大学房地产法教授韩柱玉（音译）向该系学术俱乐部的学生讲解法庭拍卖程序。（韩国时报 罗光铉 摄）

他们实际能负担得起的，是首尔郊区价格较低到中等的公寓和低层多户住宅——这是由预算限制决定的。据专门从事法院拍卖和公开拍卖数据的公司GG Auction称，首尔公寓的成交价已连续四个月超过评估价的100%，这意味着传统的拍卖折扣实际上已经消失殆尽。

金范俊表示：“在首尔主要地段购买公寓至少需要3亿至4亿韩元的自有资金，这根本遥不可及。我认为别墅是一个现实可行的折衷方案。”

8月24日，首尔松坡区首尔东部地方法院拍卖法庭外，一块说明如何填写竞标表格的告示牌赫然在目。（韩国时报 罗光铉 摄）

有些人确实能成功。24岁的卢贤贞（网名“Hyunfree02”）去年底在江西区买下了一栋低层多户住宅，价格近2亿韩元，比附近同类房屋的价格低了约20%。这处房产位于首尔“MOA Town”项目规划区内，该项目旨在推动社区重建。她的做法正是韩国人所说的“妈妈科技”（momtech）——先住在普通的房子里，等待房产升值或重建前景改善。

“我对这里靠近地铁站、周边基础设施完善，以及最重要的是不用再担心全租或月租这件事感到非常满意，”她说。“现在我有了自己的房子，我会存钱，以后再决定是继续住在这里还是卖掉它。”

兴趣日益增长，风险也随之增加。

这股热潮不太可能消退。人工智能驱动的法院拍卖分析平台Yoiddang表示，过去三个月里，45至64岁的用户占其用户总数的63%，18至34岁的用户占22%。该公司称，年轻用户的增长是最明显的用户群体趋势。

“年轻用户会积极地将人工智能和类似工具生成的数据运用到决策过程中，”该公司官员表示。

预计未来几个月将有更多房产进入法院拍卖程序。包括为首尔地方政府和其他机构授课的房产拍卖讲师金元英在内的专家表示，这些房产中包括前总统文在寅执政期间第一批大量借贷购房者购买的公寓。

低层多户住宅预计也将大量出现，这是由于自 2023 年以来一直明显的全租房困境所致。其中两种模式占了很大一部分：一是“高价全租房”，即房产的定金接近或超过房屋的售价；二是“反向全租房”，即当前的定金低于房东仍欠现有租户的定金。

首尔江西区花谷洞，一片低层多户住宅区，韩语俗称“别墅”。/《韩国时报》资料图

供应激增既是机遇也是警示。房产之所以被拍卖，是因为房产本身存在问题，而这些问题并非总能在房源信息中体现出来。

“拍卖数量显然在增加，但出现问题的可能性也在迅速上升，”西姆说。“买家如果未能分析隐藏的留置权、租赁权主张和其他法律权益，可能会付出沉重的代价，因此他们应该在竞标前彻底研究整个流程。”

对于买不起首尔公寓的年轻买家来说，拍卖场是为数不多的几个入场途径之一。

新韩证券房地产专家顾问杨智英表示：“如果政府不解决房价上涨的根本原因，仅仅进行监管，需求总会有缺口。由于拍卖实际上是用少量资金投资房产的唯一途径，年轻人即使明知风险很高，也仍然蜂拥而至。”

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。